Many of you have heard of video interviewing, some of you have tried it and others have stuck their nose up at it as a passing fad. Whether video interviewing is the next lava lamp or the next TV time will tell but surveys show that right now video interviewing usage is on the rise and is more than a passing fancy. For those still not convinced here are your 5 most common objections to why you aren’t using video interviewing and reasons why you should.

We would never use it to replace the face-to-face interview: We agree. Video interviewing should not replace the face-to-face interview. However, we believe you should get the most out of your significant investment of time and money in face-to-face interviews by maximizing the odds of bringing in candidates you know are a good fit for your organization, not those you decide within the first 5 minutes aren’t right for the job. Seeing candidates on video is an underappreciated but proven way to gain real understanding of a candidate’s potential.

Video interviewing is discriminatory: Actually video interviews don’t discriminate, people watching the video interviews discriminate. And that’s the EEOC’s opinion, not just mine. If you or your people are discriminating against job candidates after watching their video interview then you will also discriminate against them when you meet them face to face. Recorded video interviews not only provide proof of your non-discriminatory practices but in some cases they actually screen in candidates you might otherwise have rejected based on criteria you noticed in their resume. For example, perhaps you require someone who speaks perfect English but after noticing a candidate’s ethnic sounding name you move to remove them from the process only to find their video interview reveals they speak perfect English.

Video interviewing is just a passing fad: That may be. Just like phone screens may be replaced by video interviews, so too in 5-10 years might video interviews be replaced by something better that comes along but that doesn’t mean right now they are not useful in the hiring process. Facebook has been around for ten years, one billion people use it but despite this 46% of Americans believe Facebook will become extinct to make room for a new social platform. This of course does not stop them from presently enjoying this so called passing fad. Recent surveys show that 53% of hiring managers now often use video interviewing in their hiring process. Sometimes “the next big thing” only lasts 10 years before the next big thing comes along. Just because video interviewing may be gone in 10 years does not mean you should not profit from it today. You can either be an early adopter, a late adopter or a “too cool” laggard left out in the cold.

We are reluctant to change our process:

Step 1: Filter resumes and choose candidates to screen with video.

Step 2: Video Interview candidates.

Step 3: Review the video and choose ones you like.

Step 4: Interview candidates face-to-face and hire the one you like.

Pretty easy, huh?

We have no budget: Is wasting your valuable time interviewing, face-to-face, candidates you don’t like within your budget? Can you afford to fly in a candidate you decide within the first five minutes is not a fit? Are you saying you don’t spend any money on candidate screening now? C’mon, you get the point!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on video interviewing and why you or your organization is reluctant to change.

About The Author

Ryder Cullison

Ryder has more than 10 years of experience working with retained search clients as a search professional. As a pioneer of Interview4 he has great knowledge of video interviewing. He writes about all things hiring and looks forward to engaging with his audience on topics of leadership, recruiting, candidate screening, and employee satisfaction. Follow him on Twitter: @hireintelligent and @cullison1